Crusader Kings II character, war mechanics detailed

Crusader Kings II game designer Chris King has explained some of the mechanics of the sequel to Paradox's 2004 grand strategy title, Crusader Kings.

King told Hooked Gamers that the first game's restrictive laws would remain in place, forbidding nations from attacking those of the same religion, as a nod to historical accuracy.

"The kind of free for all that you see in the Renaissance era only came after the breakdown of the feudal order," he explained.

The original title's battle system has been given a serious overhaul, with more emphasis on tactic selection and AI character traits than the original's pure numbers game.

The afore-mentioned character traits will play a more prominent role in general, with AI choices driven by historically-influenced personalities.

As players now control individual characters rather than entire nations, succession becomes an issue, and players ust keep an eye on their family tree and the inheritance laws of their various territories.

A streamlined interface allows players to nominate which territories and characters they'd like to keep tabs on, eliminating noise from distant lands of firm allies.

Crusader Kings II is due on PC in 2012.

Thanks, Blue.